Infinite Embers
by JadeMageTheObsessor
Summary: Love is in the air, but can it survive through a dying kingdom and wounded hearts? Total Zutara ship, more chapters to come, more suspense coming, thought I'd start with romance to set the scene! Enjoy some trash, by me! Also some serious Hurt!Zuko in there! :)
1. The Calm Before the Storm

Zuko laughed and smiled at her. Katara's heart melted at the sign of her secret crush finally being happy. She caressed his rough, strong hand in her soft, slender one, shifting her shoulder subtly to where her braid rested gently on Zuko's arm.

Teasingly, Zuko picked up the braid and dangled the end over her head, tickling her nose with the split ends that needed to be cut. She giggled and wrapped her arm around Zuko's waist as they stepped down the path, shoes clicking on the cobbles, and lovely flowers filling the warm air with whimsical scents.

They walked over to a bench coated in cherry blossoms, Zuko brushing the petals off for her as they sat down. Katara's water tribe clothes were warm in the garden, and she could tell Zuko was getting drowsy. Katara felt her head slide towards a blissful sleep with her beloved, and she rested her head on Zuko's shoulder.

In response, Zuko did the same, except on Katara's head. Just before she slipped into cozy oblivion, she heard Zuko murmur, "I love you, Katara." She nodded and smiled sleepily. "Mmhm. Me too, Zuko."

 **Authors notes**

so basically, idk what I'm doing, this is going to be a multi chapter that I've had in my head awhile and had no clue what to do with. Also, idk if I should be putting this at the bottom but, AVATAR DOES NOT BELONG TO ME! The tormenting of the characters DOES belong to me. MUAHAHAHAHAHA okay sorry. Anyway, I'm a noob, so a follow would be nice, but whatevs. Hope u enjoy and I will try to add a new chapter every day, but... lol, thx guys


	2. The Interrogation Part 1

Zuko awoke in a dark, dingy prison cell, no doubt the prison that Father had gifted Azula when she was five. Warily, he looked around, but his head was still foggy from his nap on the bench and the only thing he saw was a lump in the corner. Cautiously, Zuko crept over to the blob of cloth, recognizing it as a shivering girl in water tribe clothes.

He turned her over gently, realizing that she must be having a nightmare. His voice sounded hoarse, but he managed to rasp from his parched throat, "Katara, wake up. It's just a nightmare. Wake up, Katara!" At the last sentence, Zuko's voice filled with concern and his voice raised slightly, and he shook her rather desperately. His eyes flashed with worry, but then he sat back in relief as Katara came to. "Zuko? Zuko?! Oh, thank- thank goodness-" Her voice cracked and tears ran down her face, and she pulled him into a tight embrace.

Zuko realized how weak he felt, and vowed he wouldn't show it, not in front of his lovely Katara. He had to protect her no matter the cost. That's why, when four guards stepped in and grabbed each of them roughly, Zuko was the first to fight back.

"Jeez, kid. You might be a fugitive, but it's not like we're taking you for torture or anything." The guard who had spoken —a girl, no doubt— placed a calming hand on Zuko's shoulder. Though he didn't like it, Katara shot him a warning glance, so he complied reluctantly and came with their quadruple entourage. They were marched, not rudely, to a large cafeteria where a hundred or so other prisoners were sitting and eating. The room wasn't silent, as most of the prisoners had managed to make friends and were chatting frantically.

Zuko and Katara's escorts stepped away once they were in the cafeteria, locking the door. Hands laced together, they stepped cautiously towards an empty table, neither of them very hungry. For half an hour, they sat and talked, each smuggling some food into their robes for when they finally worked up an appetite. A guard began ushering the prisoners towards the cell block, but as Zuko and Katara stepped out, the quadruple of guards pulled them away.

"Got orders to take you for interrogation. My advice is give 'em what they want as soon as you guys get in there. Don't want to see you guys getting hurt. Seem like nice folks." The guards all looked rather remorseful, which just made Zuko even more terrified as to what was to come. Zuko could feel Katara's grip tighten around his arm, and he caressed her shoulder to tell her it was okay.

Zuko could feel it coming, and sure enough, when they reached the iron door, two guards took hold of Katara's shoulders and led her away. Zuko could feel the desperation rising in him, but he took a deep breath and sent Katara a look that meant, _Go with them. We don't need trouble on our first day here._ He could see the frantic look in her eyes but she nodded grimly.

She wasn't helpless, after all. She could defend herself better than most, and she was still considered a teenager. Feeling powerless, Zuko followed his ushers into a large, bare room. It consisted of iron plating every single surface, from the walls to the blocky metal chair in the center of the room, with metal shackles on the arms and legs of the chair.

His ushers left as a new caretaker arrived, this one some kind of general or something. The man shoved Zuko roughly into the seat, tightly manacling his wrists and ankles to the cold chair.

 **Authors Notes**

Hi guys, lol, really long chapter here. Was originally going to be longer, but whatevs. This is the intro to a lot of Hurt!Zuko trash, so forgive me for all this junk that you have just read. Also: Avatar is not my cartoon. I did not make it, IT IS NOT MINE. The pleasure I get from tormenting the characters, however, is entirely mine, and is not shareable. Have fun reading my fluff, idk what I'm doing so...


	3. The Interrogation Part 2

"So, Firelord. Is your father doing well?" Zuko knew many firebenders were angry that their reigning champion, Ozai, had been dethroned, and he couldn't imagine that a prison run by Azula would be staffed by people who felt any other way.

Remembering what the guards had said, Zuko muttered a response just loud enough for the general to hear, "He is fine, in prison, because he tried to conquer the world." The general seemed satisfied at this answer, so he asked another. This one hit home.

"What if you let your father upstage you once more and take the throne again, eh?" Knowing the general was looking for a yes, Zuko gritted his teeth and replied, "Sorry, nope. Not going to let my own father upstage me yet again."

The general thundered, "Foolish boy! I hope you know the depths of the mistake you're making. You are not fit to rule this kingdom, so I will make an example out of you!" The crazed general pulled a length of stiff, silvery cord from his pocket. It glittered, and, when it passed by his face, he saw that it was laced with silver, holding large chunks of glass in place.

The glass on the end was stained reddish brown, as if the blood of his nation was poured eagerly onto the tip and left to dry for a century. Zuko took a deep breath and steeled himself. The general rested the whip on Zuko's shoulder, almost casually, but the weight of the general's arm pressed the glass into his shoulder, causing fierce fireworks of pain to pop in his arm. It was hardly anything compared to previous injuries he had endured, but in the heat of the moment it felt like fire.

The general leaned in next to Zuko's ear and hissed, "Would you like to rethink that decision? Because I'll only give you so many chances." Zuko firmly shook his head no, and retorted with a heated answer, "You're a tyrant. Just like Ozai!" The general's face turned redder, and Zuko braced himself for the moment.

 _Crack!_ Zuko winced at the combined sound of the whip and bones shattering, but his body went into shock too fast for him to register anything but pain the amount of a pinch. He gasped for breath as the whip hit him in the ribs, hindering his ability to breathe properly, though again he felt no pain. He wondered what was going on, and if it was bad that this was happening, but he didn't have to wait and wonder for long, because the whip bore down on him yet again.

This happened continually until Zuko could see the wounds, all over, coating his dark red robes in wet, metallic-smelling liquid that continued to flow from every wound. He was beginning to think that the general had gone med, that this practice would continue ceaselessly until he dropped dead from blood loss.

His head was already clouded, but not enough that he didn't notice the door slide open. Standing in the light from the bright hall was the silhouette of a person Zuko had never wanted to see again.

 **Authors Notes**  
Thanks for supporting me and my clueless junk, I just kinda write the stuff that pops out of the dark recesses of my brain, so... yeah. Please leave a review, and I will update this again! :)


	4. Where There's cruelty, there's kindness

Katara clapped her hands in delight. She had been led gently to a large room, full of little kids and their toys. A guard smiled at her reaction. "Many of the guards here have children, but can't afford to look after them or pay for a babysitter. We thought that since we are going to be moving posts even more frequently, you could help look after the children we want to raise," the guard explained, affectionately putting his arm around a female guard who smiled lovingly up at the man two inches taller than her.

Katara grinned and patted a little girl's head. "I think I can do that." The guards, still ordered to be cautious, thanked her and backed out, locking the door firmly behind her. Katara picked up a boy previously running rampant, and he stopped to look up at her. She smiled and he giggled, calling other kids' attention.

Pretty soon they all crowded around Katara, she handing out snacks to the obedient children, and them sitting and munching on the food as if they were starving, but then again, that was most kids' reaction. Contentedly, Katara sat back and prepared to watch the children, wondering if Zuko was being treated with such kindness in this wreck of an organized prison.

 **Authors Notes**

hey, more fluff to come, sry if I keep u waiting or anything, I may not post for a bit after this, I have to put the next chapter into words! Thanks for supporting me and my first story!


	5. Lightning can strike more than once

It was all Zuko could do to try not to leap from his chair in anger. He was _not_ going to let his infuriating sister ruin the peace he had acquired. Azula was obviously irate, and got right down to business. She pressed her face up to Zuko's and gave him a serious glare.

"Okay, Zuzu," she sneered in distaste. "If you won't let dear daddy have the throne, why don't you just hand it over to me." Zuko recoiled, partially because she called him Zuzu — though that was common — and partially because she must have known that Zuko wouldn't just _hand_ the throne over to his sister. She wasn't that stupid.

"Sorry, _sis_ ," Zuko emphasized, giving Azula a dirty look. "But free nations aren't for sale today." Azula began pacing around the room, smug grin on her face.

"Oh, Zuzu," She cackled evilly. "You are going to regret that decision so, _so_ much." With that, Azula wrapped her hand around his chair's metal armrest, and a sharp electric current tore through Zuko's already beaten body.

Azula grinned and asked Zuko, "So what do you think now, little Zuzu? Zuko, already weakened from his time with the general, managed to get out one word to his tyrannical, psychotic sister.

"Never." Her crackling energy poured from her hand and into the metal in waves, pulsing fervently. Vaguely, he wondered why the guards weren't affected, but he didn't have time to think about it as another jolt of lightning crackled through the metal.

This one was stronger than the rest, and must have jolted him out of shock, because suddenly all the pain he should've felt before came crashing back all at once, and, gasping for breath, Zuko felt himself sliding into the sweet relief of unconsciousness.

 **Authors Notes**

Sorry this chapter was so short, but I barely had time to write it, along with the whole bit about me being unable to post for a whole weekend. SORRY I WAS ON VACATION anyway, thanks for supporting my random, junky fluff!


	6. The Earth meets the Sea

Katara waved goodbye to the toddlers as the guards marched her back to her cell, not being incredibly rough with her, out of gratitude. Katara quickly realized that either Zuko wasn't back yet, or they'd moved him to a different cell. She had watched the little ones all day though, so she was much too tired to be concerned, thinking she'd see him sooner or later.

In the middle of he night, Katara was woke up by her cell door opening. The metal scraped on metal, but what really got to her was the person thrown in. She rushed over there, realizing it wasn't Zuko, but another prisoner, so as soon as the guards left, she hurried to find some water.

The poor girl was beaten and bruised, and had a faint tattoo of an Earth kingdom crest. Katara set to work, healing the young girl's wounds, and by morning, some color had slipped back into the girl's cheeks.

The girl moaned, and Katara rushed to comfort her. Pretty soon, the girl was awake and ready. She curtseyed silently to Katara, then immediately set about wiping any grease stains off the slick floors.

"Excuse me?" Katara asked the girl. "Are you alright?" The girl looked afraid, and she scrubbed harder at a stain.

"It's okay, you can talk to me, I'm not going to hurt you. Come sit down." Katara led the frightened girl to the wall, where she let the girl take a seat. Pretty soon, due to Katara's kind nature, the girl began to tell Katara her story.

"Well, um, I was a servant from the Earth Kingdom, and, uh, the Fire Nation captured all the servants at my master's house, b-because we are all Earthbenders," the girl started nervously, gaining confidence as she went. "One of the guards watching us, um, made me Earthbend with a pebble, and, uh, the Warden saw me and punished me for it, because, you know, um, bending isn't allowed in prison. So yeah." The girl finished. Katara gave the girl a hug; she was on the verge of tears.

"Well, nice to meet you. I'm Katara, a Waterbender." Katara explained to the girl. The girl smiled up at Katara.

"I'm Tamarin, nice to meet you too." Tamarin no longer looked forlorn or lonely, she looked happy and ready to hug. Just then, a loud, metal on metal noise scraped through the room, reverberating through the walls, and shaking Tamarin and Katara's bones to the core. Some very unhappy guards peered in, tossing another, prostrate figure into the already crowded cell.

They slammed the door shut angrily, and Katara could see past the blood dripping down the man's face, revealing a scar around his eye he had had since he was only thirteen.

 **Authors Notes**

Hey, another chapter for my underfed brain and you guys! Do not worry, I have something epic planned next chapter, so please keep reading! School is starting soon for me, but I will still try to post every day! Thanks so much, you guys are the reason I keep writing this weird stuff!


	7. Pain has a balance

Zuko was collapsed on the ground, covered in a layer of bright red blood. A slot pushed open on the door, and a large bucket of water was pushed in along with a note saying: _Sorry about the Firelord. Here's some thing to help out. ~The prison guards_

Katara smiled sadly and immediately set to work healing Zuko's many wounds. Pretty soon he was looking much better, Tamarin had been able to pull some rock from beneath the prison, so they had a sort of cot for the wounded Firelord.

Zuko moaned in his sleep, and a worrying blue mist escaped between his lips. The mist was also rather dazzling, being flecked with gold and curling around like a nebula before finally disappearing. Katara noticed that every laborious breath Zuko took was punctuated by another plume of the shimmering turquoise smoke. Katara turned to bend more water to Zuko, but Tamarin stopped her.

"Look, he's waking up!" Katara immediately replaced the water and slid over to Zuko, whose eyelids flickered before finally opening fully. Katara gasped; his eyes looked sort of dulled but for a brilliant white strike cutting through his entire eyes.

It looked like lightning, and if she looked closely, she could see a sort of grayish tinge in the whites of his eyes. In fact, even his usually brilliantly gold irises were dulled and faded, as if the fire within him had gone out.

"Oh, Zuko. I'm so, so sorry." Katara whispered sadly, stroking Zuko's hair. He was pale and she could see sweat beaded on his forehead, so when he spoke, it surprised her.

"Katara?" It was more of a weak rasp than an actual word, but Katara understood it well enough.

"Yes, Zuko?" Zuko's previously dull eyes sparked up, almost blinding as he screamed,"Azula!" And his scar on his face burst into an inferno of flame.

Katara jumped, but managed to bend some water onto his face, dousing the fire and filling the room with sauna-temperature steam, which mixed with the nebula mist from Zuko to create an uncomfortably warm, low-visibility setting that did nothing to help any of them.

Zuko had fallen back into a trance, but his eyes stayed open, never blinking or moving. Katara wondered if they were ever going to get out of this metal hole, if the world was doomed to Azula's reign of terror, or if maybe, just maybe, a rescue on a large, furry bison was imminent.

 **Authors Notes**

Hey, giada2196, here's a thank you for the tips, I'm sorta a noob at writing, so I just do whatever pops into my head. I get where you're coming from, so in the next chapter, I will try to add a lot more of what you recommended. Thanks for the support!


	8. The twisted mind of lightning

Azula grinned inwardly as she ignored Shong Tai, the new Dai Li commander, talking about their plans. Ever since she had recruited the Dai Li, everything had been going according to plan. She had even managed to apprehend the Avatar while he was attempting to deliver a message to her weak brother Zuko.

Zuko and his water tribe girlfriend had even fallen asleep in the palace gardens, allowing the ever-secretive Dai Li agents to drop down and abduct them. She noticed Shong Tai looking at her expectantly, and she glared at him.

Shong Tai's eyes sparked with fear, but he managed to keep a cool expression and ask in an only slightly wavering voice, "Who should become the new Warden, m'lady? The old one has resigned, regretfully." He bowed his head in respect as Azula considered the predicament at hand.

 _I need someone trustworthy. Someone who worked his way to the top, old fashioned style. A hard worker, not susceptible to praise, a thinker. The definition of a Dai Li commander._

Having made up her mind, Azula bid him rise as she broke the news. "You, my ever faithful Shong Tai, commander of the Dai Li, have been awarded the honorable rank of Warden of the Prison of Storms." The commander, surprised at just being dubbed Warden, fell to his knees in thanks.

"Thank you, my princess. I will report to duty immediately." With that, the new Warden clipped out of the room at a brisk pace, and Azula let down her calm, orderly appearance and her face twisted into a crazed grin. Tonight was her night. She would finally become the ruler of what was rightfully hers.

 **Authors Notes**

Ok, so this is just some junk I managed to finish, I'm in the middle of the hurricane, so don't expect a lot for a while, but I will still try to post as often as possible!


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